WLS-TV in Chicago reports According to a secret FBI search warrant obtained by the I-Team, Xavier Pelkey. An 18-year-old from New England planned to separate worshipers at a Chicago Shia mosque before killing all the adults.
The 45-page report details an intricate plot we first reported on last spring. When the Maine teenager was charged with a bomb. The feds appear to be preparing much more severe charges against Pelkey.
WATCH: I-Team Insider: Plot Against Chicago Mosques
The search warrant includes images of swords, guns, and menacing-looking subjects posing in front of the ISIS flag.
Pictures in the document depict alleged chat room conversations between Pelkey, 18. Who lived with his family in Waterville, Maine, and unnamed, uncharged teen co-defendants in Chicago and Kentucky.
Pelkey was initially charged only with possessing explosives. Even though authorities claimed he planned to attack mosques and synagogues in Chicago. The scope of the alleged plot was not revealed at the time.
The federal search warrant reveals frightening details of a violently planned attack:
“In late March, a mass shooting occurred at an identified Shia mosque in the Chicago area.
They intended to break into the mosque. Separate the adults from the children, and execute all the adults. Suppose law enforcement did not intervene at that point. They planned to go to another Shia mosque or possibly a Synagogue. To do the same thing. They would keep going until they were shot and killed by police.”
“There’s enough in the search warrant to suggest a lot of forethought. A lot of careful thought put into this plan.” ABC7 legal analyst Gil Soffer told the I-Team. “A clear plan to gather in Chicago, clearly understanding that a destructive device would be present. It appears to be a simple plot.”
According to court documents, the government is considering increased charges, which could significantly alter the nature of the case.
“It’s now looking like it’s giving material support to a terrorist organization. Most likely conspiring with others to give support to a terrorist organization,” Soffer said. “It has a harsher maximum penalty. It raises concerns about national security. It’s a conspiracy, more than one person, and it could lead to a much more serious charge.”
According to FBI records, the plot to separate and murder Chicago religious worshipers was aided by multiple guns, swords, knives, and bows and arrows seized from Pelkey’s home. Agents stated that the 18-year-old was willing to die as a martyr.
On Thursday, prosecutors and Pelkey’s attorney did not respond to our messages.